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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22691482">Sometimes It's Always</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xcmlxx/pseuds/xcmlxx'>xcmlxx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The L Word (TV 2004), The L Word: Generation Q (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:15:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22691482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xcmlxx/pseuds/xcmlxx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
          <p>I have a vague idea where this is going, and there will almost certainly be sex/explicit parts in later chapters. This is one of my first times writing fanfiction, and I haven't done a lot of research, but I wanted to make something, especially for the pairing. I miss them. 🥺</p>
        </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tina Kennard/Bette Porter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A month had passed since Bette lost the mayoral campaign, and though not everything was back to normal, things were on the right track. Angie was doing well in school; she hadn't gotten into any more fights with students or teachers. She and Jordi were still friends, and probably much more, though she wouldn't tell Bette that. Alice and Shane were busy, but the three often found times to get together like the old days, though their group was a lot smaller without the consistent presence of Dana, Tina, Marina, Jenny, and Kit. Sometimes Tonya and Tim were even missed. But the three found comfort in each other. They weren't the Three Musketeers, because Alice had tried to call them that once and it did the opposite of stick, but they were always there for each other when they needed it most. And Tina and Carrie were moving to Los Angeles soon, once Tina's show in Toronto was on hiatus. Why Tina ever took up producing again after <em> Lez Girls </em> was a mystery to Bette. Tina became self-sufficient and independent after their divorce, but she could have done anything else after that shit show.</p><p>Bette was finishing sorting the rest of her campaign memorabilia that was left in her garage until she could face parting with them forever. She decided to keep two of everything (just in case one item got lost or damaged) and she would donate the rest of the shirts to a woman's shelter and recycle the remaining posters and applicable propaganda. She was also working on pre-Spring Cleaning, because Tina would be over quite frequently in the next week or so, as she looked for apartments for her and Carrie, and spent time with Angie. Bette would be jealous of both Tina's relationship with Angie and Carrie's relationship with Tina, but Bette had a while to mentally prepare for those challenges and emotional hurdles. Though it was always hard at first, Bette got used to the dynamics quicker each time Tina came around.</p><p>Bette was starting to go through a box in her garage that seemed relatively new. Her heart's beat became prominent as she saw what was in the box. A mixture of pictures of Tina, Angie, and herself were inside. Their perfect little family with perfect smiley faces in perfect happy moments. Bette felt her mouth pout a tad and her eyebrows slightly furrow and tears press her eyes. She didn't want to cry because they were lovely times with fond memories. Those times were so close, but Bette couldn't grasp them anymore; they slipped through her fingers. Tears slipped through her fluttering eyelashes. She let the pictures slip through her hands and back into the box.</p><p>She took a break to make some tea. She used a potholder to pick up the kettle every time, and knew how to make her tea just the way she liked it; an organic, fair-trade, sustainable, ethical, eco-friendly chamomile. No sugar, no cream. Her tea breaks were one of the few joys she had that she knew was not destructive. There was no way to hurt feelings, have her feelings hurt, ruin relationships, nor exploit women or child labor. Plus, it was delicious and helped her keep trim and relaxed.</p><p>Bette checked her phone. A text from Tina to the group chat with the two mothers and Angie. Tina wanted them to know they would be flying in tomorrow because the show had wrapped a couple of days ago. That was earlier than Bette expected. Bette was more than prepared to have Tina and Carrie over to the house to see Angie for the next few days, but it was always hard for Bette to process. It still didn't feel right. Tina left Bette to become independent and became engaged so quickly. It felt so wrong.</p><p>She reread the words. "My show wrapped up on Friday, so we'll be on a Flight tomorrow morning ! We will land around noon at lax." Tina still wasn't the best at texting, but she certainly got her points across. Tomorrow was a lot earlier than what Tina had previously indicated, so Bette was a little frazzled about the late notice. She would need to call Angie to let her know that she'd pick the teenager up from Jordi's in about an hour so she could get plenty of rest. Tomorrow was Monday, anyway. Going back to school after a fun weekend was sometimes hard for the teen.</p><p>Bette drafted her reply to the group chat. "That's exciting! Would you like me to pick you up from the airport?" She deleted the last sentence and changed it to "That's exciting! Do you two have a ride from the airport tomorrow or should I arrange a car?" If it were just Tina, Bette wouldn't have an issue picking her up, but the dynamic with Tina's new fiancee and ex-wife would likely be a bit tricky to navigate at first, and probably shouldn't be introduced in confined spaces during lunchtime rush hour. Bette sent the text.</p><p>Angie texted Bette directly. "Mom, when can you pick me up? I'm getting tired." Bette replied "I can head over there now, give me about thirty minutes. Is everything alright?" Angie thanked her mom and expressed that everything was peachy keen.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have a vague idea where this is going, and there will almost certainly be sex/explicit parts in later chapters. This is one of my first times writing fanfiction, and I haven't done a lot of research, but I wanted to make something, especially for the pairing. I miss them. 🥺</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bette left pretty quickly to pick up Angie, her thoughts were in so many different areas of her life right now; what was she going to do to support Angie and herself now that she lost the election, Milner's offer for the bogus task force was not an option, and she burned her bridges at the Department of Cultural Affairs? What was she going to do when Tina and Carrie were here tomorrow and for the following week? What was she going do to make sure she and her daughter were okay? </p><p>Bette's thoughts were distracted while driving, but since it was about 9:00 PM on a Sunday in the middle of February, there wasn't too much traffic, and she was just about on time to pick up Angie. Angie was already waiting outside for her mom. She was sitting on the curb. That wasn't typically something Angie would do; she was Bette's daughter after all, and this was L.A. Who knew what could be on that curb? Angie stood up and got in the car with little cheer in her step. She leaned over the console that separated their seats, and kissed her mom's cheek and said "Thanks for picking me up. Let's go home." Angie wasn't normally so eager to leave Jordi's, especially not to go home before another week of school. </p><p>"Do you want to drive, Angie?" The teen shook her head no. Bette drove off.</p><p>Sensing the teen's somber mood, Bette asked "Is everything alright? Did you and Jordi fight?" Bette always wanted to be there for her daughter, even if the teen didn't want to be open with her all the time about this specific topic.</p><p>"No, nothing like that. I'm just tired and want to get rest before school and before Mama T gets here tomorrow." </p><p>"It will be nice to see her again so soon. We haven't seen her this much since last year." Bette glanced over at her daughter, they made eye contact, and Bette gave a sincere, yet pained, smile. She quickly returned her eyes to the road. They looked like the might water. Angie hated it when her mom cried. Her mom had cried so much last year when everything happened. Angie felt like she needed to carry both of their pain. That was something she had adopted from Bette. Bette had tried to absorb a lot of Tina's pain over their two-decade-long relationship. Angie carried pain a lot better than her mom did, but they both missed auntie Kit and Mama T.</p><p>"Yeah, it should be good to see her." Angie paused a beat. "Mom, are <em>you</em> alright?" The teen was good with communication, as long as it didn't involve this mom inquiring about her relationship with Jordi. They were very open, but Mama T was easier to talk to about relationships. They were on similar playing fields that way; new love and all.</p><p>Her mom smiled again, with slightly more pain than before. Her eyes crinkled more than they did a few years ago. She looked sad. Angie could tell her mom was hurt. Through her pain, she managed to sound strong and convicted while saying "Everything will be alright, it's all going to be fine. Thank you for asking, Ang. I love you." She smiled a lot more easily with her daughter's sweet inquiry. They both valued the other's open communication, though Bette could benefit from being more open about what exactly she was feeling or what was going on in her life. Her daughter was steadfast, and always there for her moms. She was invaluable to Bette in that way and many others. </p><p>Her motherly instincts took over as she remembered she was also supposed to be there for her daughter; she refocused her thoughts back to driving and parenting. "Are you hungry? Did you eat at Jordi's? Should I make you something when we get home or should we pick something up?" </p><p>"Oh, I'm fine. We ate pizza and made a salad. Thanks, though." They looked at each other again and smiled. Angie turned on the radio to some alternative or pop music; Bette couldn't decipher which was which these days. They blurred into each other. They danced a little and sang the songs they knew the rest of the way home.</p><p>Angie was getting ready for bed, and Bette was doing some last-minute touching up of the house. She didn't get to clean as much as she had wanted before to T and Carrie's arrival, but her house was hardly lived in enough to be messy, especially recently. She packed all the boxes away, avoiding looking at the pictures of their happy little family from a year and more ago. She felt strong enough to face the two tomorrow, but not just Tina. Never just Tina. That was always hard. Bette still couldn't believe Tina had fallen in love with someone else in a year since their divorce and was already engaged. What happened to Tina growing as her own person? Finding her own way? being more than "half a parent." How would being in another relationship so quickly cultivate that? Was it just an excuse? She swore she and Tina still felt the same way about each other. Bette felt herself spiraling with these thoughts. Maybe she wasn't quite strong enough, but she would have to fake it or convince herself it was all fine. She told Angie it would be alright; she could tell herself, too. </p><p>Bette put the last box away to stow in the garage until after the new, happy couple found their own place or returned to Toronto, and decided to get ready for bed. She took off her clothes from the day and examined her body. She was still toned from consistently running and hiking, and her good, lean diet. She felt slightly older, but her body was still quite youthful and elastic, especially since she had never experienced pregnancy. Though she had wanted to. She was modest and said her body changed a lot, but it mostly hadn't, it was still recognizably hers. She was still slender, but she wasn't 35 anymore. Not that she would want to be. She put on a white tank and pajama bottoms. It was her favorite linen pair that she had owned since before Angie was born. She rarely wore them because she didn't want them to wear out, but this called for some self-care. What could be better than her favorite lounge pants? Tina sleeping by her side was an obvious answer, but she tried not to linger on that thought. The pants would be plenty of comfort for Bette. She had had her fair share of nights like this.</p><p>Before she brushed her teeth, she plugged in her phone. A text message from two hours ago to the group message with herself, Tina, and Angie. "I'd love if you could pick us up... Is that possible?" Bette responded, "Yes, of course. :) Which terminal should I pick you up from?" Bette recently learned you can end a sentence with a preposition and still be grammatically correct, so she felt less guilty each time she did. Bette put her phone down after turning on the ringer and went to brush her teeth. As she was rinsing off her toothbrush, she heard the notification ring and put the brush back in its holder. She remembered when it had two, and frowned at the lone toothbrush. She walked over to her cell and read Tina's message. "Great! We will be Arriving at terminal 6." Bette responded with "Lovely, we will see you tomorrow. Have a good night. :)" She didn't want to come off as harsh when texting Tina, especially with Angie in the group message, so the smiley faces were plentiful. Angie responded a second later with "So excited to see you tomorrow, Mama T!" Bette thought 'Wow, her tune certainly changed!' Then she called for Angie through the walls.</p><p>"Angie, it's 11:00! Go to bed!" Angie laughed and said she would. They exchanged 'Goodnight, I love you's with each other, and Bette smiled. She crawled into her unoccupied bed, thinking 'God. I'm so lucky to have Angie.' </p>
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